REQUEST FOR INFORMATION: JUVENILE DEPENDENCY REPRESENTATION SERVICES

RFI NUMBER: CFCC-201705-ML-RFI

REQUEST FOR INFORMATION

Judicial Council of California
TITLE: juvenile dependency representation services
RFI NO: CFCC-201705-ML-RFI
responses DUE: june 2, 2017 no later than 3:00 p.m. Pacific time
  1. THE OPPORTUNITY

You are invited to respond with information to assist the Judicial Council of California (“Judicial Council”) in identifying legal representation services for parties in juvenile dependency proceedings in El Dorado County.

The Judicial Council of California, chaired by the Chief Justice of California, is the chief policy making agency of the California judicial system. The Center for Families, Children & the Courts (“CFCC”) is dedicated to improving the quality of justice and services to meet the diverse needs of children, youth, families, and self-represented litigants in the California courts.

CFCC has implemented the Dependency Representation Administration Funding and Training (“DRAFT”) program to further the Judicial Council’s goal of improving the quality of court-appointed counsel in juvenile dependency proceedings and maximizing the resources available for those services.

  1. GENERAL REQUIREMENTS

The following are the primary considerations that should be addressed in this Request for Information (RFI):

  • Ability to provide dependency representation services in El Dorado County within the funding levels listed on Attachment 1.
  • Contract funding for service providers is based proportionately on the percentage of children and/or parents represented.
  • Contracts to represent child clients are limited to 55% of total funding or a proportion thereof.
  • Contracts to represent parent clients are limited to 45% of total funding or a proportion thereof.
  • Attachment 1 includes the current range of child and parent clients in El Dorado County.
  • Service providers are expected to provide representation for every case filed or a proportion thereof.
  • The services are expected to be performed by the selected service providers for a period of three years.
  • Ability to Serve a Selected Client Base (see Attachment 1 for court profile)
  • Parents (including guardians, and de facto parents): Represent Parents in dependency proceedings, including all levels of parent conflict
  • Provide representation for all parents or a percentage of parents
  • Children (including eligible non-minor dependents): Represent Children in dependency proceedings, including all levels of child conflict
  • Provide representation for all children or a percentage of children
  • Parents and Children: Represent Parents and Children in dependency cases, including all levels of parent and child conflict
  • Provide representation for all parents and children ora percentage of parents and children
  • Dependency Courtroom Coverage
  • Provide adequate staffing for all dependency courtrooms
  • Provide substitute counsel for both ethical and scheduling conflicts
  • Adhere to Attorney Performance Requirements, including but not limited to:

i.Establishing and maintaining an attorney-client relationship;

ii.Visiting Child clients at each new placement, whenever feasible;

iii.Conducting thorough, continuing, and independent investigations and interviews at every stage of the proceedings;

iv.Determining their client’s interests and desires and advocating for those interests and desires;

v.Contacting social workers and other professionals associated with their client’s case prior to each hearing, whenever practical and appropriate:

  • For Child clients, this includes contacting CASA and school personnel;

vi.Requesting services (by court order if necessary) to access entitlements and to ensure a comprehensive service plan:

  • For Child clients, this includes requesting services related to IEPs and attending meetings related to the Child, as practical and appropriate;

vii.Monitoring compliance with court orders, including provision of and effectiveness of court-ordered services;

viii.Filing pleadings, motions, responses, or objections as necessary to represent the client;

ix.Preparing for and participating in all hearings:

  • For Child clients, preparing for and participating in 241.1 hearings pertaining to current juvenile dependents with a goal of maintaining the dependency jurisdiction wherever possible and appropriate;
  • For Parent clients, representation at hearings set to determine the ability to pay for the cost of court appointed counsel.

x.Investigating the interests of Child clients beyond the scope of the juvenile dependency proceeding and notifying the court of issues on behalf of the Child, administratively or judicially. These interests may include:

  1. School/special education issues;
  2. Mental health assessment and treatment;
  3. Immigration;
  4. Personal injury; and
  5. Delinquency or status offender matters;

Contractor shall not be required to provide legal representation regarding any of the above-referenced interests.

xi.Participating in alternative dispute resolution efforts, including but not limited to Family Group Conferences, Team Decision Making meetings and mediation, as appropriate and beneficial to the client;

xii.Determining if appeals and writs are appropriate and, where necessary, filing writ and notice of appeal;

xiii.Arranging for substitutive representation where necessary to avoid court delay; and

xiv.Providing representation should child client become a non-minor dependent.

  1. RFI ATTACHMENTS

The following attachments are included as part of this RFI:

ATTACHMENT / DESCRIPTION
Attachment 1:: / Dependency Representation Administration Funding and Training (DRAFT) Program Information Sheet – El Dorado County
Attachment 2: / Questionnaire
  1. SUBMISSION INFORMATION
  1. Cover Sheet, including:
  2. Organization Name
  3. Address
  4. Name and Contact Information for Organization Representative, including:
  5. Telephone Number
  6. E-mail Address
  7. Signature of Representative
  8. RFI Number: CFCC-201705-ML-RFI
  9. Completed Questionnaire. Please complete and print the questionnaire provided as Attachment 2.
  1. The Responder must submit one (1) original and three (3) copies of the RFI.
  1. The Responder must submit an electronic version of the entire response on CD-ROM or USB memory stick/flash drive. The files must be in PDF, Word, or Excel formats.
  1. Only written responses will be accepted. Responses must be sent by registered or certified mail, courier service (e.g. FedEx), or delivered by hand. Responses may not be transmitted by fax or e-mail.
  1. Responses must be delivered by the date and time listed on the coversheet of this RFI to:

Judicial Council of California

Attn: Lenore Fraga-Roberts, RFI# CFCC-201705-ML-RFI

455 Golden Gate Avenue, 6th Floor

San Francisco, CA 94102-3688

  1. INFORMATION EXCHANGE

After the Judicial Council has reviewed the submitted material, your firm may be contacted and asked to participate in an information exchange with Council staff. The objective of this is to gain further understanding of your proposed approach to dependency representation.

Information exchange can take the form of additional phone conversations and/or in person meetings. Responders may be asked to submit a detailed plan and additional information during the information exchange.

It is important to note that the Judicial Council will not reimburse you for any expenses, travel, and/or time etc., regarding information exchange activities.

  1. DISCALAIMER

This RFI is issued for information and planning purposes only, and does not constitute a solicitation. Responses to the RFI will not be returned. A response to this notice is not an offer and cannot be accepted by the Judicial Council to form a binding contract. Responders are solely responsible for all expenses associated with responding to this RFI.

If you have question(s) regarding this RFI, submit them to the Solicitations Mailbox at , no later than 3:00 pm (Pacific Time) on May 26, 2017. The Judicial Council will respond to your question(s) within twenty-four (24) hours.

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